Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging News
Magazine
PMPN Article Index
Originally Published February 1999
CASE HISTORY
Cap Sealer Preserves Vitamins
In-house system handles a range of container and closure sizes.When Brecon Pharmaceuticals (Herford, Worcester, UK) decided to switch to tamper-evident packaging for its Tesco line of multivitamins, the search for a flexible and reliable bottle cap sealer was a challenge. The packagers knew they needed an induction cap-sealing mechanism, but simply using any one would not do—they needed a sealer that could accommodate a range of packaging sizes.
First and most important, Brecon needed a sealing system that would produce consistent results with reliable repeatability. The sealer needed to produce the same error-free product run after run. Second, the system would have to handle bottles with a range of neck sizes; the necks on Brecon's multivitamin bottles run from 25 to 60 mm diam, so the system would need an operating window wide enough to accept such a variance. Third, the induction cap sealer would have to seal the bottles securely enough to maintain product shelf life.
Brecon's packaging engineers began their search by running product trials with several different sealing units. Initially they encountered problems with each new sealer, ranging from insufficient cap-diameter capacity to a lack of consistency in the end product. Then Brecon turned to Enercon Industries Ltd. (Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK), a sister company of the Menomonee Falls, WI–based Enercon Industries Corp. After running extensive trials with the Enercon systems, Brecon's packagers found a sealer that met all of their needs—Enercon's Compak. Compared to the other sealers Brecon had tried, Enercon's Compak induction cap sealer offered a notable improvement in overall consistency and repeatability. In addition, the Enercon system had a larger operating window and produced high-integrity seals that virtually eliminated oxidation—a process that decreases a product's potency.
Manufactured from stainless steel, the Enercon Compak has a NEMA 4 enclosure that is easy to clean and can operate in a washdown environment. But the feature that makes the Enercon Compak so flexible is its 63-mm tunnel-shaped coil attachment. The coil produces an electromagnetic field and directs that field onto the seal. It allows the system to operate with Brecon's full range of container and closure sizes.
The Compak is mounted over the conveyor and integrates directly into the existing packaging line. When bottles have been filled and capped, they pass under the Compak, where the coil directs the electromagnetic field onto the foil seal. As it heats the seal, the current melts a layer of polymer coating to fuse the seal to the bottle. The system produces tough, reliable hermetic seals that serve as tamper-evident devices. In addition, the seals provide oxygen and moisture barriers, ensuring the potency of the product and extending its shelf life.
Another component of the Compak's reliability is the power supply system. The power supply responds instantly to any fluctuation in output loading, which enables the Compak to maintain a controlled and accurate heat in the seal. This eliminates the risk of damaging the container or its contents. As a result, the Compak reliably produces seals without overheating the product or forcing an irregular bond between the seal and cap.
After experiencing the efficiency and reliability of the Compak, Brecon's packagers also began using Enercon's Compak Jr. for their clinical trials. The Compak Jr. is a small, portable version of the Compak and is designed for short-run production in lab environments. The 20-lb system is air cooled and easy to set up or transport. It operates with an electric timer and, like the Compak, provides heating accuracy and repeatability in a variety of applications.
Brecon's Malcolm Bowdich says that Enercon enabled his company to provide its customers with a consistently high-level product. "The Enercon systems have provided us with numerous benefits," he says. "They have ensured that the products we pack and [test during a] trial, on behalf of our customers, are consistently and hermetically sealed to the highest standards."
